Combined air and water craft



Feb. 19, 1929.

1,702,343 J. GRIFFIN cousnmn AIR AND WATER can:

Filed Aug. 5, 192

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 um wk 270% 67% :3

' r I v J. GRIFFIN COMBINED AIR AND WATER CRAFT Feb. 19, 1929.

Filed Aug. 5, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 m anouuqo Feb. 19, 1929.

J. GRIFFIN COMBINED AIR AND WATER CRAFT Filed Aug. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet Patented Feb. 19, 1929.

UNITED STATES JOHN GRIFFIN, or WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK.

COMBINED AIR AND WATER CRAFT.

Application filed August 5, 1927. Serial No. 210,900.

The present disclosure of the invention relates to a craft which without alteration in construction may be used for travel in the air, on the surface of water, or below the surface of the water. It is to be understood however. that a number of features of construction herein embodied, may be employed either in. an aircraft or a water-craft and hence they are not restricted to use in a combined air and water craft.

It is the principal object of the invention to provide a craft which embodies unique propelling means to act against either air or water to propel the ship, said propelling means embodying weight-sustaining means for the craft when the latter is used in the air. A further object is to provide unique means for mounting and adjusting the ')ropelling means so that the latter may be made to cause ascentor descent of the craft and may al so be made to effect steering thereof. y

it still further aim is to provide means for so adjusting the propelling means with respect to the body of the ship. as to effect submcrging of the latter in water when desired. lVith the foregoing and minor objects in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description being supplemented by the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the craft conditioned for use as an airship.

Fig. 2- is a view similar to Fig. 1,parts however being broken away and in section.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view partly in horizonta]. section.

4 and 5 are respectively transverse and longitudinal sections on the correspondingly numbered lines of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the craft conditioned for use in water.

In the drawings above briefly described, 6 denotes a combined fuselage and bull, whose cockpit 7 may have a suitable water-tight dome or closure 8 to exclude water when the hull is submerged.

Opposite sides of the member 6 are provided with axially alined transverse bearings 9 through which outer tubular shafts 10 pass rot-atably, stuffing boxes 11 being provided around said shafts at the outer ends of said bearings. Passing rotatably through the shafts 10. is a shaft 12 having cranks 13 at opposite sides of the member 6. By means of a suitable transmission mechanism 14. the shaft 12 is driven from a motor 15.

Stufiing boxes 16 are provided around the shaft 12 at the outer ends of the shafts 10, and these shafts 10 are rigidly joined to a pairof longitudinal rods 17 which may be swung into different angular relationswith the body member 6, by rotating said shafts 10. For so turning these shafts, I prefer to provide them with independent Worm gears 18 mesh ing with worms 19 on two control shafts 20 extending rearwardly and, provided with halnd wheels 21 in front of the seat 22 for the p1 0t. l a

At opposite sides of the body 6, elongated downwardly-cupped weight-sustaining and propelling members 23 are disposed, said members having bearings 24 through which the cranks 13 pass. These hearings are disposed between the ends. of the members 23 and at their rearends. the latter are pivotally and slidably connected with the rods 17. To establish this pivotal and slidable connection, a bearing 25 is provided slid'able along the rod 17 and itself having a transverse bearing 26 in which one end of a short trans verse shaft 27 is turnably received. the outer end of this shaft being provided with lugs 28 suitably secured to a transverse rod or the like 29 at the rear end of the member 23. As the crank shaft 12 is driven, the members 23 ,are moved forwardly. downwardly rearward ly and upwardly by means of the cranks 13 and during these movements. the bearings 25 slide back and forth upon the rods 17 and the shafts 27 turn in the bearings 26. By turning the hand wheels 21as may be required the shafts 10 may be turned, thus vertically swinging the rods 17. to dispose the members 23 at any desiredangular relation or relations with respect to the body 6. By meansof these hand wheels 21, the members 23 may be so and justed as to cause ascent of the ship, descent thereof. lateral stabilizing, and steering.

The craft will operate equally as well in water as it will in the air, the members 23 then acting upon the water to propel the ship. If these members he inverted as shown in Fig. 6. by sufficient rotation of the hand wheels 21. they will act as means for submerging the entire craft.

Each member 23 is of novel construction. It embodies two parallel longitudinal side walls 30. a forwardly inclined top 31 of openwork form, a front 32 also of openwork construction, and a plurality of flaps 33 pivotally hung at 34: and capable of jointly closing all openings in the top and front 31 32, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5. As the member 23 moves upwardly in air, the flaps open and such upward movement is hence unresisted to a large extent. Upon forward and downward movement of member at however, the flaps 33 automatically close, thus trapping air in the member 23 and causing the latter to exert a sustaining and propelling force. This same action takes place when the members 23 are positioned approximately as in Figs. 1 and 2, with the craft used in water. When members 23 are inverted however, as in Fig. 6, the flaps open upon downward movement of said members and close upon upward movement thereof, so that submerging of the craft may be attained.

When flying, alter suflicient speed has been attained, the craft may be used as a glider. When this is done, the flaps 33 at the front oi the member 23 merely swing rearwardly to substantially horizontal positions, permitting air to enter. At the same time, the remaining flaps 33 swing upwardly and rearwardly against the top 31, thus forming a weight-sustaining plane. Preferably, the top 31 has a sufiicient curvature to simulate the curvature of the planes of an ordinary aircraft, to produce weight-sustainin g.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the craft will. be readily understood without requiring more extended explanation, but it may be stated in conclusion that within the scope or" the invention as claimed, numerous variations may be made and the present disclosure is for illustrative purposes only.

I claim 1. A combined air and water craft comprising a combined fuselage and bull, and propelling means carried by said combined fuselage and hull for acting against either air or water to propel the craft, said propelling means embodying means for sustaining the weight of the craft when in the air and for submerging the same when in water upon adjustment 01 said means to a predetermined relation with said combined fuselage and bull, and means for so adjusting said propelling means.

2. In a craft, a body; a combined propelling and sustaining member carried thereby and comprising longitudinal side walls, a forwardly inclined top, a front, said top and front having openings, and pirotally hung flaps for closing said openings; and drivingmeans for moving said member forwardly, downwardly, rearwardly and upwardly; the flap or flaps at the front of said member being adapted to swing rearwardly when gliding, permitting air to swing the other flaps against the top to term a plane.

3. In a. craft, a body, a 'unsrorse .l'riven shaft mounted thereon and having a crank, an elongated downward -cispped propelling member having bearing mean ll! rougzili which said crank passes, a longitinflinal rod at one side of said propelling member, and means slidably and pivotally connecting the rear end of said member with said rod.

l. A structure as specified in claim 8; together with means for moving said rod vertically into different angular relations with said body.

5. In a craft, a body, a transverse driven shaft mounted on said body and having a crank, an elongated downwardl -eunped propelling member having bearing means. through which said crank passes, a lon 'iti linal rod at one side oi said propellii her, a second transverse shaft incur. said body and fixed to said rod tor swn k the latter vertically to dillerent positions, means for turning said second shaft to d ferent positions and holding it in any position to which it is adjusted.

6. A structure as specified in claim said second transverse shaft being oi: tubular form and rotatably surrounding the first named shaft.

7. In a craft, a body, elongated downwardly cupped propelling members at opposite sides of said body, driving means pivotally connected with said members for moving said members forwardly, downwardly, rearwardly and upwardly, and manually controlled means for swinging said members about their pivotal connections with said driving means into different angular relations with said body.

8. A structure as specified in claim 7 the swinging means for either oil? said nie hers being operable independently oi the so means of the other member when desired.

In testimony whereof I have hereiuito at fixed my signature.

JOHN GRIFFIN.

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